The Motorcycle Powered By Screwdrivers

Nils Ferber is nothing if not creative. He, along with partners Sebastian Auray, Ruben Faber and Ludolf von Oldershausen have created this three-wheel motorcycle-like contraption, from mostly bicycle parts, as an exercise in alternative transportation. The best part? It’s powered by two electric screwdrivers working in tandem.

Admittedly, two electric screwdrivers won’t propel you very far or very fast (top speed is claimed to be around 18 mph), but the experience should be fun if nothing else. As you can see from the photos, the rider is placed in a head-forward position, one hand operating a throttle and the other a brake.

Handling and steering are much like a motorcycle, as the rider uses his body to tilt the rear wheel in the direction he or she wants to go. The trike will then twist itself along its spine-shaped joint in the center to move along that path.

The two screwdrivers are mounted on both sides of the trike and run in the same direction to the rear wheel. Freewheeling bicycle hubs ensure power from one screwdriver doesn’t overcome the other in the event one has more battery life than the other.

There are no intentions of mass production, instead this is simply a design exercise Ferber has wanted to create to show what’s possible in human mobility using scrap parts. Be sure to check out the pictures in the gallery for a better view of this machine.